Why is it that when we fail, when we mess up and don't deliver on our promises, we always go on defence?
Why is it so damn difficult to own our mistakes?
Maybe we need to listen more to Jocko Podcast.
Or maybe, we need to think of Idina Menzel, the Tony Award-winning singer and actress, known for her powerful mezzo-soprano voice and signature belting technique.
Anyone who’s tried to sing along with “Let It Go” or “Defying Gravity” knows that Idina can hit some of those notes that mere mortals can’t.
In 2014 she joined the Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve gang in Times Square to sing “Let It Go,” her smashing hit from the animated film Frozen.
She did great, except for the last note, an impressive high E flat, the climax to the song.
It was off.
Belting an E flat, even under optimal conditions, say, in a recording studio with the opportunity to do multiple takes, is no easy feat.
Singers miss notes, just as football players drop easy passes.
The crowd in Times Square didn’t seem to mind all that much, but social media exploded in criticism.
The lesson here is in Idina's response.
"There are about 3 million notes in a two-and-a-half-hour musical; being a perfectionist, it took me a long time to realize that if I'm hitting 75% of them, I'm succeeding. Performing isn't only about the acrobatics and the high notes: It's staying in the moment, connecting with the audience in an authentic way & making yourself real to them through the music. I am more than the notes I hit & that's how I try to approach my life. You can't get it all right all the time, but you can try your best. If you've done that, all that's left is to accept your shortcomings and have the courage to try to overcome them.” Idina Menzel
Idina is not a star because she has a "perfect voice", she's a successful star because she can perform the shit out of what she sings - putting her whole heart into her characters and bringing them to life through song.
Her tone is unique, some like it some don't, but it's another reason why she stands out from the crowd.
There are plenty of great singers out there who never get a "big break" because they can't be vulnerable, have no stage presence, or have no "x" factor.
They focus so hard on being perfect they don't know how to be genuine in front of an audience.
This all got me thinking.
How do you define success?
Seventy-five percent is the success rate assigned by Idina Menzel to her own profession.
If you were a doctor, how many patients would you have to diagnose correctly to consider yourself successful?
Or if you were a general contractor, what percentage of houses that don't fall down would make you one of the best general contractors in the country?
Idina's message is dead spot on, loud & clear, and applicable to just about anyone.
We are human, we make mistakes, some small, and others massive and embarrassing. Don't run from them. Don't sweep them under the rug. Don't try to spin them. Own them. Admit when you are wrong.
Making mistakes is human, admitting them is heroic.
Hope you are feeling positive. And testing negative. Thanks for reading.
I’ll see you next time.
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